To Dance With Death
by IrregularHonour
Summary: Basil had always distrusted lady-mice. Nomouse will ever give him greater reason to do so than Shadow, femmice-fatale, and Ratigan's new chief assassin.
1. Chapter 1

_I'm doing this for fun. I'm not sure if I'll continue. You help me decide! :)_

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><p>"You dirty, contemptible sewer rat!"<p>

The black mouse spat the words furiously at Ratigan. She was held tightly in the clutches of two of his henchmice, but that did not seem to deter her.

He smiled down at her. A slow, terrible smile. It did not make him look any prettier.

"My dear Madam, I am afraid you leave me with little choice. Either you follow my orders- to the exact letter.. or else I'm afraid I shall have to carry out my threat. You REALLY wouldn't want that, now, do you?"

She glared at him, but didn't deign a response.

"Well?" Ratigan stepped forward and placed one claw under her chin, forcing her to look up into his eyes.

She faced him defiantly, but for the first time a slight spark of fear could be seen simmering in the brown depths of her gaze.

"Very well" she conceded at last. "I agree."

Ratigan smiled again in triumph, and with a wave of his paw the two henchmice loosed their hold.

He held his arm to her in a gesture of sarcastic gallentry. The mouse simply glared at him.

"Oh come, my dear!" Ratigan crooned. "You are one of mine now. Surely you would not wish to start your service by insulting your new master?"

His smile turned into a snarl as he uttered the last words. The two henchmice moved closer. There was no mistaking the warning.

She glanced at the henchmice contemptuously, and then stepped forward and placed her paw firmly on Ratigan's arm.

They swept out of the room together. The black mouse's carriage every bit as commanding and proud as Ratigan's own. In one aspect only did their manner differ- while Ratigan strode along with a brash confidence characteristic of him, the black mouse moved silently, her dark eyes ceaselessly moving... watching.


	2. Chapter 2

"And I should like you all to extend a warm welcome to our new ally- a mouse as deadly as she is beautiful! A mouse to bring about the final destruction of our arch-enemy, Basil of Baker Street! Please raise your glasses in a toast. To Shadow!"

Ratigan's voice boomed over the dining table which promptly erupted into dutiful applause.

The black mouse raised her fork in sardonic acknowledgement, before spearing a slice of cheese on her plate. She did not so much as glance at Ratigan.

Silence fell. There was a sound of heavy breathing. Several henchmice began sweating.

Shadow reached across and poured some apple juice into her glass. She lifted it to her lips and took a sip.

The henchmice stopped breathing.

A shadow fell across her plate. It was distorting, morphing.. changing. The heavy breathing was raspier, more ragged.

CRASH!

A clawed fist slammed down in front of her, breaking the plate into pieces.

Shadow looked up, with an enquiring lift of her brow. "Was there something you wanted, Ratigan?"

The creature paused and then stopped. Slowly Ratigan stood up, his fur flattening and smoothing down into a more settled order.

"No, no! Not at all!" he lied. "I merely wanted to know if you had anything to say."

Shadow shook her head, taking another sip of her apple juice. Her eyes regarded him contemplatively over the rim of her glass.

Ratigan had not quite recovered his composure. To be truthful there was much about this lady-mouse which troubled him. He had never quite met anyone like her in his experience. He realized, looking at her, that in her quiet way she was every bit as formidable and threatening as _he _was- if not more so. The knowledge was not pleasing to him.

"Is something wrong, Ratigan?" Shadow asked.

Ratigan realized that he had been staring. He pulled out his chair and sat down.

"Not at all." He repeated absently. "Not at all."


	3. Chapter 3

"I have a small assignment for you to do, before we... ah... begin our plan." Ratigan leaned back into his armchair and placed his fingertips together.

"And yet I agreed to target only _one_ individual." Shadow said, studying her fingerclaws.

"Yes, yes! I know." Ratigan said deprecatingly. "But this is quite worthy of your usual attentions, I assure you. You will not find anything objectionable in the removal. It is simply that your actions would be _mutually_ beneficial in this case."

"How so?" Shadow's air of assumed calm was beginning to get on Ratigan's nerves. He glared at her and then got up from behind his desk.

"There is a small time mouse in West London who has been recently disobeying my orders. I, ahem, would deal with it myself of course, if it were not for several rather, uh, unaccommodating factors."

"Unaccomodating factors?"

Ratigan halted and looked across at the mouse, one side of his mouth curving upward in anticipation.

"He lives in a pet shop."

"Ah."

Shadow, Ratigan noted with surprise, did not seem the least bit phased at what should have been a terrifying prospect.

"So you wish," the black mouse said, with a graceful inclination of her head, "that I should remove this minor annoyance?"

"No! No indeed!" Ratigan said hastily, holding up his hands. "Merely bring him to me- alive preferably. It will of course be a difficult undertaking. You may take Fidget to assist you in the task."

"Generous I'm sure." Shadow murmured sarcastically. Ratigan pretended not to hear her.

"I expect you to return by tomorrow evening at the latest." He smiled broadly down at Shadow. "I'm sure you will not disappoint me, my dear. After all what are a few puppies and kittens to a mouse of your, ah, rather unique abilities?"

Shadow shut the study door behind her and heard the slight click as Ratigan locked it. She waited a few minutes, listening expectantly.

She had reached the count of ten before she heard the explosion of Ratigan's laughter from inside.


	4. Chapter 4

Fidget looked down at the sacks. Shadow had finished tying string around one of them and was hefting it up onto her shoulder.

"Whaddya want with these?" He grumbled, kicking one suspiciously with his foot. It gave a wet, squelching sound.

"We're taking them with us." Shadow said. "We'll need them."

"What fer?"

Fidget scowled at her retreating back. Shadow had now picked up a second bag and was placing the two in the middle of a large pocket handkerchief spread out upon the pavement. It was the second time she had ignored his question.

Finally she turned towards him impatiently. "Well? Are you coming?"

The bat's scowl deepened. "I'm coming! I'm coming!" He hobbled towards her quickly on his wooden leg, pasting a blatantly fake smile on his unattractive face whenever Shadow looked at him.

"I hope he feeds you to Felicia!" He muttered under his breath.

Finally he reached the handkerchief and waited, staring blankly at his companion.

Shadow reached into a pocket of her coat and pulled out a small tin whistle. Raising it to her lips she let out a shrill blast. Fidget jumped nervously.

And then a large shadow swooped over them. Fidget ducked, squealing in fright- his wings automatically rising to protect himself from the approaching menace.

"Oh don't be ridiculous!" Shadow said derisively. "It's perfectly safe."

One yellow eye peeked from between the leathery folds. "S- safe?"

"Yes." She folded her arms and stared at him. "How did you think we'd get to our destination. By _walking_?"

Slowly Fidget uncurled himself from his ball and stood up. Hopping and chirruping excitedly from the other side of the handkerchief was a young robin.

It cocked its head to one side and eyed him with bright, beady eyes. Fidgit stared back at it with dawning horror.

"You wanna make me go on that?" He shrilled. "No way! You can't make me! I'm not gonna go on no bird!"

"Her name," Shadow said oppressively "is Rose."

Fidget threw a tantrum. "I don't care! Boss hired me to spy! Not die! I wanna live. I'm not going on a bird. Birds are nasty. Birds flap wings and peck you. I'm not gonna go!"

"Very well."

Shadow turned around and with a gesture towards the handkerchief, which the bird seemed to understand, climbed nimbly upon the robin's back.

Fidget blinked. He had not expected that reply.

Rose chirruped happily and gathered the corners of the handkerchief in her beak. She hopped a little way and then flapped her wings..

Suddenly the bat gave an unearthly screech and hurled himself at the robin

"No! No! Me come too! Boss be angry. You're gonna make Boss angry at me! I'm gonna come! Wait fer me!"

Fidget reached the bird just in time to seize her leg with one of his wings. And then came a giddying, sickening sensation as the ground dropped away from beneath him.


	5. Chapter 5

In all his years at the bottom of the rodent chain Fidget had discovered a natural weapon in himself. It had never failed to defeat his opponent. It did not fail him now.

Shadow, sitting on Rose's back, and gazing serenely at the landscape beneath her- was suddenly jolted from her composure by the most appalling sound she had ever heard in her life.

It was a screeching... dry, hoarse, and yet raised to the most abominable and continuous pitch. It grated on the sensitive eardrum like fingerclaws against a chalkboard.

Shadow endured it for all of twenty seconds before she stooped, and seizing Fidget by the collar, hauled him up next to her.

"Have you quite finished?" She hissed.

Fidget lay next to her, his small chest heaving up and down with his exertions. His yellow gaze glared up at her fiercely, but- wisely perhaps- he refrained from speaking.

Shadow returned her gaze to the scene below her, scanning for their destination. Rose, although small for a bird, was a swift and efficient flier and Shadow estimated only another fifteen minutes until their destination was reached.

She decided to utilize the time by informing Fidget of their plan.

Turning slightly around she eyed the bat dubiously. He had ceased panting, and was now lying on his side with a slight sickish look on his features.

"Is something wrong?"

Fidget's eyes snapped open. He had long before come to the conclusion that Shadow was not a friendly mouse, but despite the sharpness of the tone addressed to him, there seemed to be a note of genuine concern underlying it.

For once he tried not to be difficult.

"I feel sick."

The childish simplicity of the phrase rather disarmed the mouse for a moment. She felt a stab of pity for the bat.

"We will be there soon. In the meantime you will have ample chance to recover from your experience. You were foolish to change your mind at the last moment like that."

Again, the words were curt, almost severe, but with the underlying note that Fidget's childish instinct detected.

He struggled to a sitting position and looked at Shadow for the first time without any hostility.

Despite the exotic colouring of her fur, Shadow was not a typically beautiful mouse. She was slight, and trim, with dainty paws and black eyes. Unlike other mice of her sex, she wore neither make-up, nor bow, nor any other natty trimming to distinguish her femininity.

Fidget thought, cocking his head slightly, and regarding her with his yellow eyes, that despite all expectation there was something rather attractive about this plainly attired mouse. Perhaps it was her eyes, which either sparkled or smouldered with hidden fire, or else it was the command and poise with which she carried herself... Either way, he could not find himself disliking her as actively as he once did.

Slowly- and rather painfully for the Fidget's pride- he nodded.

Shadow's eyes widened slightly, but otherwise she gave no acknowledgement of the gesture.

"I need to give you instructions for your part in my plan," she stated. "Now I understand that as a bat you have a very peculiar gift..."

Fidget's eyes glistened excitedly as Shadow briskly began laying out the details of her idea.


End file.
